A physiological approach to quantifying thermal habitat quality for Redband Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri) in the south Fork John Day River, Oregon

Abstract

We examined tissue-specific levels of heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) and whole body lipid levels in juvenile redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri) from the South Fork of the John Day River (SFJD), Oregon, with the goal of determining if these measures could be used as physiological indicators of thermal habitat quality for juvenile redband trout. Our objectives were to determine the hsp70 induction temperature in liver, fin, and white muscle tissue and characterize the relation between whole body lipids and hsp70 for fish in the SFJD. We found significant increases in hsp70 levels between 19 and 22°C in fin, liver, and white muscle tissue. Maximum hsp70 levels in liver, fin, and white muscle tissue occurred when mean weekly maximum temperatures (MWMT) exceeded 20-22°C. In general, the estimated hsp70 induction temperature for fin and white muscle tissue was higher than liver tissue. Whole body lipid levels began to decrease when MWMT exceeded 20.4°C. There was a significant interaction between temperature and hsp70 in fin and white muscle tissue, but not liver tissue. Collectively, these results suggest that increased hsp70 levels in juvenile redband trout are symptomatic of thermal stress, and that energy storage capacity decreases with this stress. The possible decrease in growth potential and fitness for thermally stressed individuals emphasizes the physiological justification for thermal management criteria in salmon-bearing streams.

Anadromy and residency in steelhead and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): a review of the processes and patterns

“…This may be particularly relevant for O. mykiss because their distribution incorporates a wider range of thermal habitats than most Pacific salmonines (Kammerer and Heppell 2013;Richter and Kolmes 2005;Sloat and Osterback 2013). Water temperature has direct effects on metabolism, growth (Brett 1952(Brett , 1979, and lipid content (Feldhaus 2006;Kammerer and Heppell 2013), which influence the expression of anadromy and residency Sloat 2013). Thermal regimes that reduce opportunities for obtaining a large size and high lipid levels in fresh water may therefore increase the likelihood of anadromy ( Fig.…”

Seasonal changes in spatial patterns of Oncorhynchus mykiss growth require year‐round monitoring

“…Although spring temperatures in Murderers Creek were below 15°C (the optimum range presented by Richter & Kolmes 2005), they met or exceeded 5°C on most spring days (Fig. Feldhaus et al 2010;Weber et al 2014) has been focused on summer periods. Macroinvertebrate drift biomass, which was an important component of summer fish growth in this stream (Weber et al 2014), likely mediated the relationship between stream temperature and fish growth during spring as well.…”

Comparison of Tributary Survival Estimates of Steelhead using Cormack–Jolly–Seber and Barker Models: Implications for Sampling Efforts and Designs

“…Furthermore, sites may be revisited multiple times to estimate seasonal or annual variation in population parameters (Letcher et al 2002;Ebersole et al 2006). Fish movement in tributaries can be more complex than movement through the hydrosystem, as time rearing in tributaries varies from days to multiple years and movement can range from almost sedentary (<100 m) to nomadic movements within and between reaches and even subbasins (>1 to 100 km) in response to food availability or changing thermal conditions (Bjornn 1971;Ebersole et al 2001;Feldhaus et al 2010).…”